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Chester, NS;

Century-old tower could be rebuilt
Landmark Chester structure provided seaside views before it fell into disrepair
By RENEE STEVENS
Mon. Aug 18 - 4:45 AM

CHESTER — The Chester Trust is hoping that people will be able to enjoy the view of yachts and sailboats in their village next summer the same way Alfred Ross Lightfoot did in 1904.

Mr. Lightfoot built Lightfoot Tower on what is now the property of the Zoe Valle Library in an era when people sometimes built things just for fun, said librarian Glen MacLeod.

"It’s a whimsical and fun piece of Chester’s history," Mr. MacLeod said of the tower, which Mr. Lightfoot used as a getaway to watch boat races in Mahone Bay while his wife hosted garden parties and teas.

"There were once five of these towers around the village and this is the only one left."

After Mr. Lightfoot died in 1911, the tower fell into disrepair. It was refurbished in 1983 by the Chester Municipal Heritage Society but has since deteriorated to the point where it has been off limits to the public for over five years.

Members of the library’s board of directors contacted the trust earlier this summer about restoring the landmark and Suzi Fraser, a trust board member who is heading up the restoration initiative, said they were immediately on board.

"I have meetings scheduled with architects, engineers and fundraising experts to give me guidance, but before we have even asked for a cent, we have already received around $10,000 in donations," she said. "So obviously it’s a worthwhile cause.

"I used to go there every day when I was a kid, so I would love for the fundraising to be big and quick so by next spring we are already physically working on it."

The trust won’t know how much it will cost to restore the structure until it is assessed and work tenders are sent out, but Ms. Fraser expects it will be under $100,000.

"There’s not a lot of heritage left in Chester and people really want to go up in the tower, so we want to make that happen and we will," she said.

Mr. MacLeod said rebuilding the tower is important because Chester doesn’t have many historic sites that the public can visit. Most of the village is privately owned.

"Everyone stops and asks about the tower and, for me, it’s really sad having to explain to people every day that they can look at it, but they can’t go up because it’s no longer safe."